Desk cover



OcL'BU, I928. 1,689,890

5. J. ROBERTS DESK COVER Filed Nov. 17, 1927 Samuel ll R l INVENTOR.

Patented Oct 30,- 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL J. ROBERTS, F SCRAIWJI'O'LT, IEENNSYLVANIAI I nnsx covnn.

Application filed November 17, 1927. ,Serial No. 238,988.

The subjectmatter of this application is an envelope designed to be slipped over the tops of wooden desks, especially the tops of school desks which have workin opening usually '25 been badly mutilated or worn, in order to present a smooth surface without I the necessity of refinishing such wooden tops.

It is well known that thewooden tops on school desks are subjected .to very rough usage that the children using them contin ually carve their initials and other designs onto these tops and eventually render them practically unfit for use without refinishing on an ink-well of special constructionv designed to form with the wooden top and envelope a bayonet joint connection for locking the envelope rigidly and securely to the wooden desk top.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the detailed description thereto proceeds.

In the drawings:

Figure 1, is a pers of a school desk wit thereto.

'Figure 1, is a; perspective view of the envelope separated from the desk top.

Figure 2, is a fragmentary vertical secective view.of the top the envelope applied tion through the desk top with the envelope positioned thereon and with the locking ink- W ell applied thereto in the position indicated by the section line 2 20f Figure 4.

- Figure 3, is a fragmentary plan view of and part section on line 3-3 of Figure 2 of a positioned thereon andlshowing the-locking ink-well removably inserted'in the registerin apertures of the desk top and envelope.

%"igure 4, is a fragmentary plan view of the desk top and; envelope with the locking ink-well positioned in the registering apertures prior to the turning of the ink-well the seat 12. The usual the desk to -lock the envelope and the inkwellto the desk top.

, Figure 5 is a plan view of the desk top and envelope with the locking, inkwell inserted in the registering apertures thereof and rotated from the position shown in Figure 4 to a position in which the inkwell securely clamps the envelope tothe desk top and prevents removal of the envelope from said top. I

Figure 6, is a perspective view of the looking inkwell forming part of this invention;

Figure 7-is a vertical section on the line 77 of Figure 5..

the envelope generally around three of its sides to form the sides 5 and 6 and a front end 7. The sides 5 and'6 are bent inwardlytowards each other\to 1 form flanges- 8 and 9' respectively and the front 7 is also bent inwardly to form flange 10. These flanges 8, 9 and 10 are bent upwardly toward the top 2 so that when the envelope is slid over the desk lope frictionally secured to said top. The rear end 11 of the top 2 is left open sothat top 3, the flanges act in a spring-like mannerjto hold the envethe envelope may be readily slid over the desk top from front to rear and have its open end 1.1 fit closely against the back of pencil holding recess 14 is formed inthe envelope in a; position to register with a corresponding recess formed in the desk top and thisrecess forms at the under side of the envelope a rib which seats in the corresponding recess on top and, in. eflect, serves partly as a lock to secure the envelope to the'desk top.

The envelope 1 is provided with a lcylin drical aperture 15 adapted to register with a corresponding aperture 16 in the desktop proper. The aperture 15 of the envelope is provided on diametrically opposite sides 'with slots 17 adapted toreceive lugs 18 extending from the side of the ink-well-19. If

v 70 Figure 8 is a fragmentary plan view of a 17, it will be necessary to form such slots 20 in the said aperture 16 which can be readily done by the use of a lock screw after the envelope is properly positioned.

In order to lock the envelope to the top, it will be necessary, then, to slide the envelope on to the top until rear end contacts with the back of the seat 12 and the aperture 15 registers with the aperture 16 in the desk top. The ink-well 19 is then inserted in these registering apertures as shown in Figure 4, which corresponds to the positions of the slots 17 shown in Figure 3. The projecting lugs 18 pass down through these slots 17 and 20 until the flange 21 of the ink-well contacts firmly with the top of the envelope 1. When in this position with the flange 21 and top 1 held down firmly on the wooden desk top, the lid 22 of the inkwell may be raised u wardly and used as'a lever to rotate the in r-well as a whole and cause the projections 18 to be embedded in the wooden top 3, as shown clearly in Figure 7. These projections 18, which may be stamped out of the cylindrical side of theink-well, are downwardly tapered so that when the ink-well is rotated from the position shown in Figure 4 to that shown in Figure 5, the projections 18 dig into the Wood with a wedge-like action to pull down the envelope to fit securely onto the top of the desk 3.

It has been found in actual practice that it is impossible, after this ink-well has been positioned as described,.to remove the inkwell from the desk top without actually breaking it apart. It will, therefore, be-v come apparent that I have provided an envelope and locking means therefor which will prevent children or others from removing the envelope from the desk top. It will also be apparent that this envelope can be applied without the necessity of removing the desk from its position and that it can be applied without the use of skilled labor and without requiring any elaborate tools to effect its application.

While I have described this invention as being particularly adapted for application to a wooden sidered as in any way limited to such use as it is intended to cover broadly the combination of the envelope with a top of any kind of suitable material.

, The projecting lugs 18 of the cylinderlocking inkwell are shaped to embed in or to engage the desk top with a downward wedging action for the purpose of locking the enevelope securely against the desktop so that its cannot be moved in any direction thereon without breaking the inkwells'.

desk top, it must not be con- In the modification shown in Figures 8 and 9, the inkwell 19' is provided with four projecting lugs 18 so disposed as to slide freely into slots 20 formed in the wooden desk top. Slots 17 on cover 1 are stamped out so as to form inwardly projecting lugs 23 which are adapted to be pressed downwardly by lug 18 when the inkwell 19 is inserted in the desk top, and to spring back over the tops of said lugs 18 (as shown in Figure 9), to prevent removal of the locking inkwell.

In the several modifications, it must be understood that the flange 24 is wide enough to cover the slots 17 or 17 formed on the cover 1, and that the well 19 may be rotated slightly to embed its lugs 18 in the wooden desk to 3.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A desk having a wooden top provided with an ink-well aperture, an envelope covering said top and slidably mounted thereon and having an aperture registering with said ink-well aperture, and a cylindrical locking member seated in said apertures and having a flange engaging the top of said envelope and having laterally projecting prongs embedded in said desk top to lock the envelope to said desk top.

2. A desk top having an ink-well aperture therein, a sheet metal envelope on said top and having an aperture registering with said ink-well aperture, each of said apertures having registering slots, and a cylindrical locking member securing said envelope to said top and having a flange at one end thereof to cover said slots and having laterally projecting lugs ada ted to slide in said'slots and to be embe ded in envelope locking position in said top by rotation of said member when seated in said apertures.

3. A desk top, an envelope slidably positioned on said desk top, said desk top and envelope having registering apertures therethrough, and a locking member seated in said apertures in bayonet joint connection with said desk top and envelope to lock the envelope to said desk top.

4. A desk top, an envelope positioned thereon, said desk top and envelope having registering cylindrical apertures provided with registeri notches in their peripheries, a locking mem er seated in said apertures, and means on said member slidable through said notches and enga eable by rotation with said top to lock sai envelope to the top and to lock said member in said aperture.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

sAMuEL J. ROBERTS. 

